Eight Ball
by BurningTyger
Summary: A game of pool between Master and apprentice turns deadly when an old nemesis shows up. Xanatos's arrival threatens the most important thing in Qui-Gon's life -- his Padawan.
1. Rack and Break

Title: Eight Ball, Part 1  
Author: Tyger  
Author E-mail: amidalakenobi@hotmail.com  
Spoilers: the Jedi Apprentice series  
Rated PG for swearing and (mostly) non-fatal violence.  
  
Disclaimer: George Lucas owns everything in this story, except the bartender and the mercenaries. But as they have three lines, max, they don't really count. I am making no profit, and no infringement is intended. You COULD sue me, I suppose, but all you'd get would be a slice of week-old birthday cake and some gum wrappers.  
  
Author's Note: \\...\\ denotes thoughts or Force-messages, //...// denotes my inane & irrelevant comments. Small breaks (~~~) denote changes in point of view; (~~) denote changes of scene. Confused? Me too.  
  
This was written before "Day of Reckoning," but takes place about 4 years later. I know most of what happens here is negated by the newest books, but I spent WAY too much time on this to blow it all to hell.  
  
Eight Ball  
Tyger  
  
  
The ball slid slowly towards the corner. It teetered on the edge for a few seconds, and the opposing teenager fleetingly thought that he might have a chance. Then it rolled over and into the pocket.  
  
Obi-Wan Kenobi groaned, a sound barely audible over the chatter of the pool hall's other patrons. "Good skies, that's three straight games! Don't you ever lose?"  
  
"I try not to," his master replied calmly, easily dropping Obi-Wan's remaining hover-spheres into the pockets. "Another game, Padawan?"  
  
"You'd think I'd learn when to quit," he replied, shaking his head, "but not yet. Rack 'em up."  
  
"You boys want a drink?" The bartender, a female Twi-lek, sidled up behind Qui-Gon.  
  
"Not now, thank you." He leaned languidly on the cue stick as Obi-Wan scattered the rack.  
  
"Oh come now," she purred in his ear. "Surely after all this time, you're a little thirsty. And your son over there looks parched, too. Why don't you buy him a round?"  
  
"Perhaps later," he responded, gently disentangling himself from the lekku twisting amorously around his neck.  
  
"Oh, all right." She sighed and turned to throw out a quarreling pair of Chadra-Fan.  
  
Obi-Wan doubled over laughing. "She was all over you! 'Why don't you buy him a round?'" he imitated, still snickering. "You have a way of attracting female attention, don't you?"  
  
"Oh, come off it," he said, mock-irritated, as he turned back to the game. "Whose shot?"  
  
"Yours," he replied smugly. "You have solids."  
  
He saw that three of the striped spheres already rested in their pockets. Qui-Gon raised an eyebrow. "Three at a clip; you're improving. Now, if we could just work on your arrogance a little..." He knocked four in, prompting another good-natured groan from his padawan.  
  
"When I do something good, you just go one better. How am I ever going to win?"  
  
"Patience," he replied as Obi-Wan shot, missed, and swore. "Patience, and quite a bit of experience."  
  
A cool breeze fluttered in with another guest. This one was dressed in a hooded black cloak to ward off the light rain. He strode straight to the game, as though he'd expected to meet the two Jedi here.  
  
"Still cheating your apprentices out of a fair match, are you, Qui-Gon?"  
  
The Jedi froze, his cue stick still poised on the table. He looked up into a pair of cool, taunting blue eyes. "Xanatos," he murmured. Qui-Gon straightened up slowly, gauging the other as he threw back the hood over his black hair.   
  
"What reason have you to be here?" the elder Jedi challenged.  
  
"You always were the suspicious one," he replied conversationally. "I have a proposition to make, a challenge of sorts."  
  
"What do you want?" (Across the table, Obi-Wan slid a hand to his saber hilt.)  
  
"Merely a game of pool," Xanatos continued lightly. "A gentleman's pastime. I always wondered if a day would come when I could beat you, and it appears I now have the opportunity to find out."  
  
"What's your deal? I know it can't be that simple."  
  
"The stakes, my friend; there are always stakes." He laughed softly as the whole silent barroom moved at once; a dozen blasters at various booths and tables were suddenly aimed at the two in the center of the room.  
  
Qui-Gon saw the man move in behind his apprentice; he brought his saber up, but too late. Caught off-guard and defenseless, Obi-Wan felt the cold kiss of a vibroblade against his throat. His master lowered the weapon reluctantly. "I tire of these games, Xanatos. Name your price, I'll pay it."  
  
"You insist on misunderstanding. It's a simple bet: if you win, I'll return the boy to you unharmed. If I win, he is mine."  
  
"Yours?" he said hollowly, dread flooding his veins.  
  
"Yes, mine," he repeated, like a parent explaining something to a very small child. "I have always desired an apprentice, and I think your current flunky will do quite well." He nodded to the man holding Obi-Wan, who led the captive to a chair and produced a length of synth-rope.  
  
The bartender stepped in, this time angrily. "There will be no gunplay, no blood, and no damage to my property. Everyone must holster their weapons *now.* Do you understand?"  
  
"Just put it on my bill, Tira," Xanatos replied absently. "I've waited too long for this."  
  
"You've taken the poor kid *hostage!* I can't let you do that."  
  
"I grow weary of this," he growled. "Pradu, Ru'haal: gag her. Put her with the boy." Two of the dozen mercs situated around the room moved gleefully in on her.  
  
"Leave her be," Qui-Gon commanded. "She has no quarrel with you."  
  
He laughed. "Ah, Qui-Gon. Protector of innocents, children...and bartenders. Gods, do you never stop? I hardly think you're in a position to give me orders, hm?"  
  
"Let her go," he insisted firmly. "Then we can deal with this alone."  
  
"Temper, temper, old friend. I'm sure you feel you are justified in this stubborn if futile stand, but your apprentice may harbor other feelings."  
  
He gestured to the snared padawan, and the mercenary holding the knife brought it a little closer to Obi-Wan's throat, slicing delicately, brutally into his jugular. He tried not to cry out as warm blood ran down his neck.  
  
Xanatos smiled thinly. "An ultimatum. We have perhaps fifteen minutes until he dies of blood loss. If the game is not over in that time, Master...we both lose."  
  
Qui-Gon shot his apprentice a look of concern that bordered on fear. But Obi-Wan met his gaze steadily. \\Don't worry about me. Just play.\\  
  
The Jedi nodded and gestured to Xanatos. "Your break," he said tightly.  
  
~~~  
  
Obi-Wan watched the scene calmly, fully aware of the blood now soaking his tunic. He had tried to heal the wound with minimal success; if nothing else, he had bought time. Not much, maybe another fifteen minutes. So this was what it was like to be a slave; not knowing who your master would be ten minutes from now, or even if you would be alive by that time. Great, so now he had thirty minutes to live, but surely his master could finish the game in that amount of time.  
  
Then came the nagging little voice in the back of his mind: \\Of course the match would be over, but who would win?\\ Xanatos was good, better than anyone Obi-Wan had seen; but Qui-Gon was the best, and no one could beat the best.  
  
Could they?  
  
  
Five minutes passed, then ten. He resisted the urge to fidget, to try and break free of his fetters. He knew he had to conserve his energy and keep his heart rate low; it was the only way he was going to make it.  
  
~~~  
  
Xanatos dropped another ball into the pocket, then set up his next shot. He had two left, Qui-Gon still had five. "Getting old, Master?" he taunted. "I've never beaten you like this before. Are you losing your touch?"  
  
"Not hardly." The cue ball tapped one of his gently--four more to go.  
  
~~~  
  
Obi-Wan knew he was in trouble. It was becoming a struggle to stay alert, and his head kept trying to fall against his chest. At times it was hard to breathe. He was losing track of the game because the room would occasionally tilt and blur. \\Hurry, Qui-Gon. Please hurry.\\  
  
~~~  
  
The Jedi risked a glance at his apprentice. He was shocked by the amount of blood on Obi-Wan's tunic, by the pallor of his face and his glazed expression. Fired by determination -- he was *not* going to lose another padawan -- he evened the match: now each had only to hit the eight ball in to claim victory.  
  
The merc with the knife checked Obi-Wan's pulse. "We're losing him," he warned Xanatos. It had been nineteen minutes.  
  
His concentration broken, Qui-Gon missed the eight ball entirely. The cue slid to rest at a perfect angle for his opponent. Xanatos laughed, and the Jedi Master's heart sank. There was going to be a fight if he made this shot; Qui-Gon flat-out refused to give up on his padawan. Obi-Wan could no longer stand on his own, so he would have to carry the boy and wield a lightsaber at the same time. It would not be easy.  
  
"Eight ball in the corner pocket," Xanatos announced triumphantly. He tuned everything out--he couldn't possibly miss this shot.  
  
And he didn't. A cheer rose from the mercenaries, as they'd be paid quite nicely for this one. Underneath the noise, a second small tap was heard: the sound of another ball falling.  
  
Despite the danger his apprentice was currently facing, Qui-Gon found himself grinning. "No, Xanatos, you lose."  
  
"What...?"  
  
"You scratched. I win."  
  
"I can't have-" But he had. "No!"  
  
The lights went out as though snuffed, and blaster fire spattered the air where Qui-Gon had just been. He yanked out his lightsaber as he ran to Obi-Wan. A heartbeat too late; only a coil of blood-soaked rope lay across the chair. Laughter floated across the dimness.  
  
He turned, and the green blade illuminated a grinning Xanatos, carrying Obi-Wan's limp form in his arms. "I win this round, old Master." Then he was gone in a crash of breaking glass.  
  
By the time Qui-Gon made it to the door, Xanatos was out of sight.  
  
He had wanted nothing more than to chase him down, to find him and kill  
him no matter what the cost. He could sense that Obi-Wan was still alive, but his presence was waning and too weak to trace.   
  
One thought almost reassured him: after all the trouble his wayward apprentice had gone to get Obi-Wan, he was sure the teen was in no immediate danger. That left him time to think of something.   
  
The mercenaries had cut and run as soon as Xanatos had left, typical of fringe scum. He untied Tira, who promptly pulled her blaster on him, all romantic interest suddenly gone. "You're under arrest for cooperating with terrorists and damaging private property."  
  
He looked her hard in the eye. "Do you really want to kill me with that?"  
  
One head-tail twitched as she lowered the weapon. "No. But wait, I need your name, at least. You'll be a witness as to the creep who did this."  
  
But Qui-Gon simply clipped his saber to his belt and walked alone into the rain.  
  
~~~~~~  
  
The fact that they were still on Coruscant unnerved Qui-Gon rather than reassuring him. The galaxy was limited, and had been mapped well, but the bowels of the planet-wide city lay unexplored without boundaries.  
  
When a life other than his own was at stake, he found it was easier to ignore his stubborn sense of independence. He went before the Jedi Council to make his proposal.  
  
"Hmm, unforeseen this is," mused Yoda. "But dangerous, is it, I wonder?"  
  
"Master, Xanatos has proved many times to us that he is volatile and unstable. It will take little to cause him to lose his temper with Obi-Wan."  
  
Mace Windu steepled his fingers and sat back. "But how do we *know* he will harm the boy?"  
  
"He thought nothing of almost slitting his throat. He's a terrorist; nothing more."  
  
"And you would propose to cooperate with Xanatos, although you do not know your padawan is injured."  
  
Qui-Gon tried to keep his frustration in check. "Mace, I cannot tell you *how,* but I feel that he is in considerable danger from the Dark Side influence that Xanatos will try to impress upon him."  
  
"If he is going to fall, were it not better than if he falls ten years from now, with an apprentice of his own?"  
  
He calmed himself and willed his voice to do the same, but when he spoke it was in tones of ice. "I do not believe he will fall; my feelings tell me he would be destroyed."  
  
"Qui-Gon, for the time being, the best course of action is to wait."  
  
His eyes met Mace's. "That is the one thing I cannot do." He bowed and made to exit the chamber.  
  
Yoda spoke as Qui-Gon strode past him. "Stand for your foolishness again, the Council will not," he announced.  
  
He turned back, a small smile on his lips. He recognized the words before they were on his lips: they were words Obi-Wan had once used. "You will not be able to stop me, Master." Bowing again, he let the doors shut behind him.  
  
~~~~~~  
  
When Obi-Wan awoke, he was instantly aware of several things: he was cold, weak, and sore; he was lying on a hard and equally cold floor; he was hungry, and he really needed to use the 'fresher.  
  
Then he opened is eyes, and everything he saw confirmed his situation. No windows, no furniture, and the only light came from a dying glow-cell on the ceiling and a crack under the door. He was alone.  
  
He sat up slowly, allowing the dizziness to fade away as he did so. His neck was still sore, but his tunic had been washed free of blood. Who...? If it was Qui-Gon, what were they doing here? He moved to check for his lightsaber, and was met with a sharp sting in his left shoulder. On closer inspection, he saw a half-healed blaster burn through a singed hole in his tunic. "How..."  
  
The door swung open. \\Doorknobs,\\ he realized. \\Those are ancient! How deep in the Underground are we? If we're on Coruscant at all.\\ Xanatos appeared in a rectangle of suddenly blinding light. "You took a hit before I could get you out. Don't you remember?"  
  
He shook his head, as much to reorient himself as to say no. "It's a little hazy," he admitted warily. He didn't trust Xanatos, but he figured he had no choice for the time being. And besides, he needed some things before an explanation. "I need to-"  
  
"First door on the left." He moved over in the doorway to let him through. "There's a towel on the rack if you'd like to clean up."  
  
A million things rushed through his mind, but first things first. He muttered his thanks and closed the door behind him.  
  
He relieved himself and took a quick, cold shower (he doubted there was any hot water, anyway) to clear his head. By the time he had dressed, he had managed to collect his thoughts in some semblance of order.  
  
He stayed in the doorway. Xanatos, seated on the floor, gestured for him to sit, but he refused. "Where's Qui-Gon?"  
  
"You don't remember what happened?"  
  
"I was probably unconscious, thanks to you," he shot back bitterly.  
  
Xanatos took no notice of his retort. "He's dead, Obi-Wan," he said gently. "He died saving you."  
  
He shook his head. "Sith take your mind games. I'd know if he was dead, and he isn't."  
  
"Sit down."  
  
He complied reluctantly. \\He's lying, he can't be telling the truth, I would know, there would have to be some way I would know, he can't be gone, can't be...\\   
  
"I know all about that feeling, the moment when the ties between master and apprentice are severed forever. You would understand it, too, but as you have already said, you were unconscious. The shock of Qui-Gon's death kept you out for the better part of a week."  
  
It was a lie, of course. If Obi-Wan had bothered to wear a chrono, he would have seen that it was only a day later. But he hadn't, and thus had no way to disprove Xanatos's story.  
  
Obi-Wan cast about for his master's presence, but he was either too far away or Xanatos was telling the truth.  
  
The vagabond Jedi's eyes were an oddly clear, deep blue filled with compassion. "I understand you don't trust me. I've certainly given you no reason to, have I? But you must believe me. No, don't get up if you want to hear this. I'll tell you how it happened."  
  
The coldness and fear in Obi-Wan's eyes told Xanatos all he needed to know: the boy was off-guard, but he tried desperately to cling to his disbelief. Xanatos knew he'd have to spin his tale well.  
  
"Your master won our match. I assume you don't recall?"  
  
He shook his head. Everything was blurry from that time on.  
  
"One of the less, ah, sober patrons of the bar knocked over a brandy, and a spark from his friend's cigarra lit it. An alcohol fire alone would not have caused much in the way of damage, but things started catching, and...you understand. The lights short-circuited, I don't remember exactly when. Fearing an ambush, someone opened fire, and others joined in. You were lucky to be hit only once; you were not the target of their attack. A lightsaber can only defend a person so well...Qui-Gon was shot four times when he tried to reach you, but he wouldn't stop. He - he knew he wasn't going to make it, so he told me to save you at whatever cost. I knew then that we had made our peace. I wanted to help him, but he said my greatest duty was to you. Had it not been for the fire, I might have reached him in time, but the smoke...If he wasn't suffocated, he- he bled to death."  
  
His restraint forgotten, Obi-Wan cried silently, his knees curled up to his chest. Xanatos touched his shoulder lightly. "I *am* sorry to have to tell you in this manner; I wish I hadn't the story to tell."  
  
The compassion itself might have been what lit Obi-Wan's fuse. He looked up, slapping Xanatos's hand away. "But it's your fault! If you hadn't damn near slit my throat I wouldn't have needed saving, and *he'd still be here,* damn it!"  
  
"I apologize for the...overzealousness of my employee. You were never meant to-"  
  
"Damn you!" He reached for his lightsaber, not realizing it was no longer there. "You deserve to die for this!"  
  
Xanatos remained seated. "You ought not to do that; you'll overexert yourself," he warned serenely.  
  
Obi-Wan backed against the wall. "You're *lying!* He isn't dead, he can't be..." Darkness threatened at the corners of his vision, then overwhelmed him as he sank to the floor. //AN: yes, this is a *Matrix* take-off.//  
  
Xanatos only watched as the boy succumbed to unconsciousness, then absently covered him with a light blanket. When he awoke, he'd believe everything he'd been told without question.  
  
Then his training could begin.  
  
~~~~~~  
  
"Why the hurry, Jedi?"  
  
Qui-Gon turned quickly to see a tall woman standing right behind him. "Tahl! Good skies, don't sneak up on me like that."  
  
She smiled, lifting an eyebrow. "You haven't answered my question. And where's your apprentice?"  
  
"Xanatos kidnapped him," he said heavily.  
  
She showed no outward sign of surprise, and Qui-Gon wondered with exasperation if this scenario was common enough not to warrant shock anymore. "So the hero is going out to face his darkest fears and save the boy, even at the disapproval of the Council."  
  
"Yes, that's exactly what I plan to do. Does it matter that much to you?"  
  
"Well, in all the good stories, the hero has a partner. Andur and Nomi Sunrider, Da-Nee and Ba-Lee...You may have need of help before this is over."  
  
"Tahl, I'm sure you could help me-"  
  
"But I'm blind," she finished. "I'm blind, and you think I'll need looking after. Is that it, Qui-Gon?"  
  
"Yes," he admitted softly. It was useless to mince words.  
  
She sighed, weary of having to prove herself. "When you have it, is it easy to depend on sight above all other senses, even the Force. Yet when you're without it, you soon find that it was not really...necessary at all." She moved towards him surely, and within ten seconds had him pinned to the wall. "See?" she asked, chuckling at her own choice of words as she released him.  
  
"This is entirely against the will of the Council. You don't know how much trouble we'll be in when we return." He didn't add *if we return,* but the meaning was understood anyway.  
  
"He's in danger, Qui." //AN: That's pronounced Kwiy, not Kwee and is a nickname. Actually, I just got tired of writing his name over and over.// "We both understand that, and I'm afraid it may take more than one person to get him out of there alive. I know it's dangerous; perhaps you think it would be more so for me than you. But your position is the most dangerous of all: the eye can be deceived, but the mind sees clues before they are truly visible. Trust me, and let me come with you."  
  
He looked into her sightless, knowing eyes and wondered what the two of them might once have shared. She was strong enough to match him, and there was no doubt that the two were very close. But any feelings of love he might ever have felt for anyone died with Xanatos's falling. It was too easy to lose someone you were close to. He nodded (but she couldn't see that) and spoke. "All right, Tahl, maybe I do need help. I would be honored to have you with me."  
  
~~~~~~   
  
Obi-Wan didn't want to wake up: if he closed his eyes and didn't think, everything would go away, he'd be back at the Temple, and Qui-Gon would be alive.  
  
But he had always been taught to face his fears, so he finally opened his eyes. Xanatos was seated beside him; he refused to look at the elder man as he sat up.  
  
"I do apologize," Xanatos murmured.  
  
Obi-Wan didn't reply. Xanatos handed him a cup of hot broth, which he took but didn't drink.  
  
Xanatos paused with his own cup halfway to his lips and smiled. "If I had wanted to kill you, I would not have bothered to rescue you in the first place." He drank a little, and Obi-Wan followed.  
  
"I want to go back to the Temple," he announced firmly. "Even - even if Qui-Gon is dead, they wouldn't turn me away."  
  
"I'm afraid I cannot allow you to do that."  
  
"What? Why not?"  
  
"Because your master entrusted you to my care, not that of the Council."  
  
"They aren't going to harm me! What are you so afraid of?"  
  
"They would not allow me to train you, were you to return."  
  
"So you hold me hostage in order to teach me--talk about a captive audience."  
  
"I could do worse, considering you exposed Offworld. And then what you did to my little brother..."  
  
"You had a brother?"  
  
"Yes, *had* being the operative word. The obituary said he slipped and broke his neck on the rocks under the waterfall...but of course you and I know better, don't we?"  
  
After Qui-Gon's death, it seemed nothing would ever truly surprise him again; anything seemed possible, even probable. "Bruck. *He* was your brother."  
  
"Yes. So you see, if I can put past incidents behind me, surely you can do the same. It's true, Qui-Gon and I have had our differences, but when something more important comes up, we can put our issues aside and work together." His gaze seemed to pierce the core of Obi-Wan's soul. "You were that more important thing."  
  
Tears sprang to his eyes, but he managed to hold them back this time.  
  
"You ought to get ready; we're leaving in two hours."  
  
"Leaving? Where?"  
  
"Somewhere secluded, quiet. The myriad minds of Coruscant are a constant distraction, a background noise we can do without."  
  
It never occurred to Obi-Wan that he might defy Xanatos. Like it or not, he had saved Obi-Wan's life, and that warranted a fair amount of gratitude. He snorted. "It's not as though I have much to pack, anyway."  
  
~~~~~~  
  
"You do know we could face an official censure and be banned from the Order for this, right?"  
  
Qui-Gon didn't hesitate at all. "I'm willing to take the risk. As for yourself, you can always claim that I kidnapped you."  
  
She laughed, the sound echoing off the corridor walls. "They'd probably believe me, too."  
  
"Are you ready?"  
  
"Do we plan to be gone long? I have all that I need." She indicated her small pack, the shiv and lightsaber at her waist, her cloak and boots.  
  
He winced. "Tahl, about the lightsaber..."  
  
"I can handle it, I've been practicing. Yes, I'm sure, so don't bother to ask. We could face off right here, but that would draw undue attention from the Masters..."  
  
"...who wouldn't stop us anyway," he put in.  
  
"Yoda or Mace, no; they know better than to mess with your crusades. I don't think Depa would, either. She's more inclined to let the future run its course. Some of the Lower Council members, though, might put up a fight."  
  
"If you're so concerned with being caught, perhaps we'd better hurry."  
  
"I'm sorry, I know you're anxious to find Obi-Wan. Have you been able to sense him recently?"  
  
"Off and on. I'll find him one second, and the next it's as though he's being...blocked, somehow. What I *do* sense is a great deal of uncertainty. I'm afraid this might make it easier for Xanatos to influence him."  
  
"Then let's go. Where does the Force send us?"  
  
"Lower Coruscant," he said slowly. "It will be risky."  
  
"Skip the warning, Qui. I know this won't be easy. Now, do you want to save your apprentice or not?"  
  
"Forgive me, Tahl. Let us go."  
  
Together, the two Jedi stepped out of the Temple into the afternoon sunlight.  
  
~~~~~~  
  
Xanatos woke his new apprentice with a tap on the door. Relieved from his restless doze, Obi-Wan let him in.  
  
"We dock in half an hour," he said briskly, still standing in the doorway. "You are not to say anything to anyone, as your Council may have alerted authorities that you are 'missing.'" The sharp note in his voice left no room for argument.  
  
"Meanwhile," he continued, "I have something to return to you." He produced Obi-Wan's lightsaber from a pocket and handed it to him. The young Jedi took it, hefting it gently.  
  
"It feels...different," he said, frowning. "Not much, but enough."  
  
"That is because it is not your own." Obi-Wan glanced up questioningly, but Xanatos ignored him. "Yours was damaged in the, er, melee. I recreated it in the most detail possible. The imbalance is due to the single crystal, which I used in place of your former double ones. Therefore, your saber has only one setting."  
  
\\He doesn't trust me enough to give me a kill switch,\\ Obi-Wan thought. \\At least Qui-Gon let me add one, even if he never let me use it.\\  
  
"While I am capable of making one with a dual mode, I feel that Qui-Gon has been preventing you from achieving your full potential."  
  
Obi-Wan thumbed the blade to life, the same blue shade as his first one.  
  
"You new lightsaber has *only* a kill setting."  
  
He looked up, nearly dropping it in his lap in surprise. //Ow...//  
  
\\No, I was wrong about him. He really does trust me.\\ "A kill setting? But most Padawans aren't allowed to remove the low-power mode until they're Knights."  
  
"I don't believe you are like 'most Padawans,' Obi-Wan. I believe you have considerably more power than they."  
  
A small part of his mind realized that it was flattery, that he was trying to make Obi-Wan trust him. But it was so much easier to ignore that, to give in to the hypnotic tone of Xanatos's voice. "I still don't know-" he protested feebly, but his resistance to the idea was already broken.  
  
"Listen: You keep the lightsaber and if you don't feel you're ready to use it, I'll replace it with a dual-mode version. But somehow," he added on his way out the door, "I don't really think you will."  
  
~~~~~~  
  
"He went after the boy."  
  
"Thought you for a moment he would not, Mace?" Yoda replied. The two sat with Depa Billaba in one of the smaller Council rooms.  
  
"Not realistically," he admitted, taking a sip of coffeine. "He has too strong a will to rein in."  
  
"His will is what gets him in trouble," Depa put in softly. "How many times have we been on the verge of offering him a Council seat, only to see him defy our orders again and again? I'm beginning to think he doesn't *want* to be on the Council."  
  
Mace chuckled. "He wouldn't be able to stand it. The comfort, the authority, the *safety* -- those things mean nothing to him."  
  
"Foolhardy may he be, at times, but always brave he is," Yoda added defensively. "I would not choose for my apprentice one who so easily was browbeaten."  
  
Depa laughed ringingly. "If Qui-Gon took to being browbeaten, he would never have *survived* being your apprentice!"  
  
"True it is," he mused. "Give in to my apprentices, I do not."  
  
"But still," Mace interjected more seriously, "we cannot allow him to run amok in this manner. He deliberately defies our orders whenever it suits him."  
  
"Not 'whenever it suits him;' he always has a good reason," Depa protested.  
  
"But right, Master Windu is: done, something must be."  
  
She pressed her lips together. "Yoda, you're speaking of official censure, here. It's terribly grave...and if we removed him, we would be casting off the boy, as well."  
  
"Know this, I do. But his own life to risk was this time not enough. Taken Mistress Tahl with him, he has."  
  
A moment of shocked silence met this revelation.  
  
"He wouldn't."  
  
Mace's voice was grave. "That's beyond foolish, she can't even defend herself! Skies, if he gets her killed, a Council censure will be the least of his worries. He'll be tried for murder by the Galactic Senate!"  
  
"Blind she may be, but helpless? I think not." Depa leaned forward, prepared to defend her colleague. "I've helped her practice with her lightsaber, and damned if she isn't better now than she was when she could see! In battle, sight can be more of a bane than a boon. Her blindness allows her a sort of 'tunnel vision,' so to speak. She can take care of herself."  
  
"Know that, we do, but if hurt she is, expected to understand, the Senate cannot be."  
  
"There is nothing to be done for now; but when he returns, he could face the strongest penalties we can serve."  
  
Depa checked her chrono and sighed. "I'd love to stay and chat, but there's a Council meeting in two minutes. Shall we bring this to a vote?"  
  
Mace stood. "I don't think that's necessary; he will only be censured if Tahl in injured. He is responsible for her as far as this crusade is concerned. Now, if you care to accompany me, we have a meeting to attend."  
  
~~~~~~  
  
There was little to see at night, wherever they were. Actually, Obi-Wan doubted there was anything to see in the daytime, either. They passed no people or dwellings of any kind. For all he knew, no sentient had ever trodden this land before.  
  
But that couldn't be, because Xanatos let him to a low, sprawling shelter at the bottom of a crater-like impression. At first it looked flimsy and prefab, but as the mist cleared away he saw that it was not a shelter, but a *house* -- a large one.  
  
He noted that Xanatos used a fingerprint scanner to open the front door, and somehow he doubted that he would be able to work it. \\Makes any escape plan just about impossible,\\ he though remotely. Then, looking around at the nothingness of the valley: \\As if there was anyplace to run to.\\  
  
Glow-cells illuminated a large central area scattered with blocks and ladders and all the other training equipment needed by a Jedi trainee.  
Xanatos opened a door which, thankfully, had no scanner. "This room is to be yours," he said coldly. "I trust it will be satisfactory for one so used to Temple luxury?" Obi-Wan didn't reply, and Xanatos left silently.  
  
He sighed and walked in. The room wasn't exactly spacious, but it was large enough to hold a bed, a small dresser, and a door to one side that was probably a 'fresher. The dresser would be empty, at least; he'd brought literally nothing with him. He unhooked his lightsaber and slid the top drawer open, meaning to leave it there until morning.  
  
He started. There were clothes in there; clothes that would fit him! He opened the rest of the drawers, less and less surprised to see that all of them held clothes. *Xanatos had known he was coming.* It was something to think about, for sure, but not tonight. He held back a yawn. Gods, how had he gotten so tired? He kicked off his boots, pulled off his tunic and threw it over the bedpost, flopped onto the bed, and was asleep before his head hit the pillow.  
  
~~~~~~  
  
"They were here."  
  
Qui-Gon closed his eyes briefly. "Yes, not long ago. But they're not here anymore. They've vanished." He clenched his fists in frustration, the stench of Lower Coruscant pervading the small tenement.  
  
Tahl caught the note of despair in his voice and laid a hand gently on his shoulder. "Not *vanished.* They may have left no physical clues behind, but you can follow what they do not know they left. Concentrate."  
  
He knelt on the floor, tracing a small bloodstain on the rotted floorboards. Obi-Wan was alive, and Xanatos had brought him here...but from here, to where?  
  
He closed his eyes again, searching for any metaphysical sign his padawan might have left. He found pain, fear, fury, despair, a million conflicting emotions, all in the space of a few seconds. Then the faintest beginnings of trust. Just a flicker, but it was there. *Obi-Wan trusted Xanatos!* The boy had put his faith in the kidnapper, the enemy: why?  
  
  
  
Images, snatches of conversation.   
  
The pool hall darkening around him, a dim room in the tenement where Qui-Gon now stood.  
  
*"He's dead, Obi-Wan."*  
  
Darkness again.  
  
*Bruck was Xanatos's brother!*  
  
Giving up, resigning himself to his fate.  
  
Leaving for somewhere, a deserted planet. Grayness, scruffy grass, mountains in the distance.  
  
  
  
  
\\But there are a thousand planets like that,\\ Qui-Gon thought. \\I can't search each one for him!\\  
  
  
  
  
Cold words, a warm room, and finally, sleep again.   
  
Stars turning outside a small window as dawn approached.  
  
And a particular one that never moved...  
  
  
  
  
His eyes snapped open. "I think I know where he is."  
  
~~~~~~  
  



	2. Calling the Shot

Eight Ball, Part 2  
By Burning_Tyger  
E-Mail: amidalakenobi@hotmail.com  
Spoilers: Jedi Apprentice series, again.  
  
Disclaimer: No infringement intended. Same thing I said before, but the cake is two weeks old now. ;)  
  
In answer to a few questions: Xanatos is a former apprentice of Qui-Gon's. Tall, black hair, blue eyes, and he has a semi-circle scar on his cheek. (This is all to be found in the Jedi Apprentice books.) No, Xanatos is not my own creation, although any offers to make him so will be happily accepted, even if I have to REALLY overdraw my bank account to do it. Basically, Xanatos turned away from the Jedi but kept his lightsaber. Big no-no. He founded a mining company called Offworld, Obi and Qui exposed it, and Xani now has a BIG vendetta against the Master/Padawan pair.   
  
Tahl is a Jedi Apprentice character as well. She's a human female, blinded recently on a mission. Obi and Qui saved her (This is in Defenders of the Dead, book 6.) So, now that you are thoroughly confused...  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Dawn came too early. Obi-Wan rolled over, trying to hide from the burning light that pierced his little window. Useless.  
  
He showered, then hesitated over the clothes that awaited him. They didn't *look* like something a Jedi would wear; they were black, and fitted differently. The cloak he'd found handing on the 'fresher door was black as well, lined with the deepest midnight blue. He had taken it off the hook, felt its warmth and weight, realizing how expensive it must have been. Yet he still hesitated.  
  
But was a Jedi in different clothes no longer a Jedi? How nearsighted would one have to be to think that clothing would change a person's heart? It was foolish; besides, his old clothes were pretty much ruined, and the towel around his waist wasn't very warm.  
  
So he changed, surprised to find how comfortable the new clothes were. They were light and allowed freer movement than his old ones, and there was a loop on the left side of the (black) belt that perfectly held his lightsaber. He was almost disappointed that he didn't need the cloak.  
  
Suddenly restless, he decided to go to the exercise room. Xanatos had never said he could wander the place, but then, he'd never expressly told him he *couldn't,* either. He was willing to risk the Jedi's wrath. \\Maybe if he gets angry enough, he'll send me back to the Temple.\\ The more logical consequence would be more painful, but for some reason, it didn't bother him.  
  
The exercise room was similar to the one he remembered from the Temple. *Very* similar, in fact. He recalled how so many things had been stolen when Xanatos was running rampant around Coruscant; these must be the things that were never found.  
  
He climbed, ran, leapt, remembering how much he used to enjoy this--some things never changed. He was hanging bat-like from a rafter when he felt his lightsaber slip from his belt. He flipped off the bar, slowing the weapon and quickening his own fall at the same time, so he landed on his feet. The lightsaber dropped perfectly into his grasp, igniting as he gripped it. Despite the imbalance, it fit naturally in his hands.  
  
He used the Force to awaken one of the remotes on a shelf, then gave himself to the battle. He sank into the Force, and the stun bolts seemed to crawl from the remote to him. Blocking them was child's play suddenly. It was easy, feeling the Force flowing around and in and through him. He had found his center, no longer having to think about parrying and gripping or the subtle nuances of the blade that were new to him.  
  
The remote moved away, shutting down and hovering in place. Obi-Wan slipped out of his trance to realize he was breathing hard, still in guard stance. He'd reached the remote's 30-minute time limit in what seemed like seconds.  
  
"Very good," a voice echoed, and Xanatos separated himself from the shadowed corridor. He lifted his own lightsaber hilt. "Care to have a go?"  
  
He met the man's deep stare willingly, but hesitated. "There's only a kill setting..."  
  
"Do you fear for me? or for yourself, I wonder?"  
  
"Fear is the path to the Dark Side," he quoted, lowering himself back into a guard position.  
  
Xanatos lit his blade. "Does the flame create the shadow, or the shadow the flame?"  
  
Obi-Wan struck out before he had finished speaking. Xanatos parried the tentative strike and drove in with abandon. The younger man dropped back into a roll, searching for the balance that he had found against the remote. He blocked a blow that would have split him from collarbone to hip and slashed at Xanatos's unprotected boots.  
  
And suddenly there it was. He caught hold of the peace, and the blue blade in front of him blurred with speed. The red weapon in the hands of his adversary, however, slowed only slightly, just enough that he could keep up. It was easier to predict Xanatos's next move, to block it or dodge and get in a blow of his own.  
  
Then he stumbled. \\The blocks!\\ he remembered too late. He tried to flip back, but Xanatos struck his blade aside and he lost the momentum he needed. He landed hard on his back, the wind knocked out of him. Xanatos raised his blade and swept it lightly across Obi-Wan's midsection, burning clothes and singeing  
skin, but harming nothing vital. The padawan winced; this was no game with both weapons set to kill.  
  
He tried to get up, but couldn't immediately manage it. Xanatos sighed and extinguished his lightsaber, but made no attempt to help the boy. "Have you recognized your weakness?"  
  
"You're better than I am," he gasped. "How can you expect me to beat you right off?"  
  
"That is no excuse!" he thundered. "Your weakness is your trust."  
  
"I trusted *you*!"  
  
"You didn't believe this was a real battle, and you were wrong. No, I will not help you heal the cut: it is your lesson for today." He finally extended a hand to his apprentice. "Now go."  
  
Obi-Wan attached his saber to his belt and walked out, not daring--or succumbing--to look back. He was suddenly harboring second thoughts about Xanatos's mercy.  
  
He removed his shirt gingerly, holding back tears. It hurt just to breathe, much less to move. He had never been a really good healer, although he did succeed in pushing back a little of the pain...but not much.  
  
Fighting the vertigo that suddenly overwhelmed him, he dragged himself to the bed. On the nightstand lay lunch. Or dinner, or whatever mealtime it was around here. He ate ravenously, then laid back. He wouldn't sleep, just rest his eyes for a minute. Yes, that was all. Rest...  
  
He tumbled from pain-filled consciousness to the sweet oblivion of sleep.  
  
~~~~~~  
  
"Of course," she breathed. "It's so perfectly logical! Where else would he run but home?"  
  
"He might not be on Telos itself," Qui-Gon warned. "There are six planets in the system, three that are 'civilized.' The search will possibly be long."  
  
"If you want me to go back, will you just tell me and stop dropping hints?"  
  
"Forgive me if I offended you. I just wanted you to know that you had the option if you needed it."  
  
"Apology accepted."  
  
"Glad to hear it. Now all we need is a ship. You don't have one, I don't have one, and I really don't think the Council would be too keen to let us borrow a transport."  
  
"Good. I know a mechanic about forty levels up who's pretty reasonable--plus he owes me a favor or two..."  
  
"See? You're already proving useful to this mission."  
  
Twenty minutes and very little haggling later, they were prepping a brand new YT-1300 for takeoff. "That was easier than I thought it would be," Qui-Gon commented. "And a nicer ship, too."  
  
"It was a big favor," replied a grinning Tahl.  
  
The Corellian freighter lifted smoothly into orbit. Qui-Gon set the destination coordinates, then frowned. "Six days? I didn't think it took that long to get there."  
  
"Sorry, the hyperdrive is only operating at about forty percent right now. Apparently gratitude only goes so far."  
  
"I hope you're prepared for the wait," he sighed. "Stars know I'm not."  
  
She touched his shoulder lightly. "Obi-Wan is strong, Qui. He'll survive a little longer without our help. However, every second we tarry here is another one we could be on our way."  
  
He nodded, reaching for the silver hyperspace levers. "Then may the Force, be with us all." He pulled back gently.  
  
The stars stretched, then vanished altogether into an ice-blue tunnel of hyperspace. Qui-Gon sat back and sighed. It was indeed going to be a very long wait.  
  
~~~~~~  
  
By the second day, it seemed routine: he woke, warmed up, was bested by Xanatos, then went back to his room to spend the rest of the short day meditating or driven to distraction trying to quell the pain. It started to fade away in a few hours, but every second until then was blazing agony.  
  
He was quickly becoming aware that Xanatos was not a benevolent master. At times, Qui-Gon's lessons had seemed harsh, but he had never deliberately wounded his apprentice...and if he had been injured in some way, Qui-Gon would not have refused to repair the damage. It was still hard to think of his old Master, and the situation in which he found himself only accentuated the anguish.  
  
On the third day, the first thoughts of escape made themselves known to him. That morning Xanatos had struck him with his saber hilt, and a deep gash in his chin was bleeding freely. He lay on the bed, staring at the tiny window and speculating on how he could fit through it, or even if he could at all. There was a scanner on the door, the windows were too small, and his lightsaber wouldn't cut through the door without setting off an alarm.  
  
He could always ask Xanatos for permission, but he got the feeling that his request would be met with harsh words and perhaps a blow if he was in an especially bad mood. There had to be another way.  
  
And there was. If he could kill Xanatos, or stun him sufficiently, he could drag the body to the scanner, and he'd be free. So simple...yet so impossibly difficult. He'd actually have to *win* one of their battles to do it, and it would take time to pinpoint Xanatos's weaknesses.  
  
The fourth morning dawned, and he was ready to test the Master. He sensed Xanatos before he saw him, rushing to meet him with saber raised. His blade was forced back with impossible speed and strength, but he was ready. He ducked and stood a few meters away, waiting for his opponent to make the next move. Xanatos dove at Obi-Wan's left knee; instead of bringing his saber low to sweep it away, he kicked out at Xanatos's unprotected side, connecting with muscle and a satisfying whoosh of expelled air.  
  
\\I have to do what Xanatos doesn't expect, catch him off-guard.\\ It would probably involve letting himself be slashed, possibly several times, but if the end result was his freedom, it would be worth it.  
  
He lasted longer this time, but still couldn't win. When Xanatos hit him, the force of his anger was behind the blow. He slashed hard across Obi-Wan's back; he actually *smelled* the flesh burning. Then he fell and hit the scattered blocks, landing heavily on his right arm. He felt the bones snap as he tumbled, the red-hot waves of pain radiating from his wrist, his elbow, his shoulder. His head hit the corner of a block, and the room went dark for a second.  
  
He felt himself being pulled back to consciousness. When he opened his eyes, Xanatos was leaning over him, his face a marble shade of white. As soon as the dark Jedi touched Obi-Wan, the throbbing torment in his arm lessened. He heard a sharp grating--why didn't it hurt?--as the bones twisted back into place. Warmth flooded the injured limb and he gasped, feeling the bone splinters fuse back together. His arm didn't hurt anymore; he could move his hand.  
  
Of course, the lack of pain in his arm left him quite free to feel the burn across his back. He got the idea Xanatos wouldn't offer to heal that one.  
  
Color slowly returned to the fallen Knight's face. "Can you move it?"  
  
Obi-Wan flexed the fingers of his right hand. "Yeah," he added unnecessarily. He reached instinctively to the back of his head, and the fingers returned bloody. He winced.  
  
Xanatos nodded curtly, the coldness returning with his composure. "Seeing as you cannot keep your balance on any sort of terrain, I think that concludes our lesson for today." He whirled, scooped up his lightsaber, and left Obi-Wan alone to struggle, rise, and stagger back to his room.  
  
But he had made a discovery, no matter how slight, and that lessened the pain just a bit.  
  
~~~~~~  
  
Qui-Gon awoke suddenly from a discomforting vision, which faded away as soon as he opened his eyes. His right arm was numb, and his back hurt.  
  
\\Asleep as the control stick, eh?\\ he asked himself. \\Maybe I really am getting old and feeble.\\ He didn't recall falling asleep (one rarely does) and while sleeping in a cockpit chair could easily attribute to a sore back, the pain in his arm was quite inexplicable. The ache faded away even as he thought about it, and in a matter of seconds was gone altogether.  
  
Tahl wasn't sitting next to him anymore. He checked the countdown chrono for the millionth time: Three days, six hours, fifty-four minutes, and thirty-six seconds until Telos. And then they had to find which planet Obi-Wan was on. He unconsciously glanced back at the chrono. Eighteen seconds had passed--big difference. He stood up, stretched, and went out to find Tahl.  
  
She was in the lounge (really a glorified cargo hold) and a remote hovered in front of her. She brought her lightsaber up to guard position, and the remote attacked. Qui-Gon watched as she easily fended off the first volley, then switched to a one-handed grip as she waited for the second round. More blasts, more quickly, and she had less control over the blade. Still nothing hit her, or went past. The remote beeped, withdrew, and settled on a shelf above the holochess table. "Do I pass, Qui?" she asked without turning around.  
  
He started. He'd made no noise. And pass what? He hadn't even realized he'd been testing her, but she knew. "With flying colors. And the single-handed grip; where did you learn that?"  
  
"My master taught me when I was the same age as your padawan. It's a well-controlled grip that allows one to defend and attack at the same time." She produced a small blaster. "It's not a Jedi's first choice, but a satisfactory last ditch effort, stars forbid. Anymore for me, though, it's not a choice at all. Here."  
  
He took the blaster. "It's not set on stun."  
  
"I know." She sensed his disapproving gaze. "If you want to accomplish a goal, sometimes there are no better options."  
  
He frowned. "You're letting the ends justify the means: as long as you do what you set out to, it doesn't matter how you do it. Tahl, you know you can't do that. It would be better not to accomplish the ends at all if it costs innocent lives."  
  
"Are you willing to live by those rules, even when they may cost Obi-Wan his life?"  
  
He paused for a long time. "Yes," he said finally. "I am sure he would do the same in my place."  
  
"I hope it doesn't come to that. It shouldn't; the Xanatos I remember was never one to trust others with anything."  
  
"I hope you're right, Tahl."  
  
~~~~~~  
  
The next day, all of Obi-Wan's half-planned ideas went straight to hell.  
  
*He* knew.  
  
Instead of appearing at midmorning for their battle, Xanatos didn't arrive until early afternoon. And when he did, it wasn't for a fight.  
  
"Could I speak with you, Obi-Wan? You can put your saber away; we won't be sparring today."  
  
Suspiciously, he let it drop. "So talk," he said cautiously.  
  
Xanatos gestured to a large block, which floated up behind Obi-Wan. "Sit," he commanded, doing the same himself. "It had come to my attention that you are somewhat...dissatisfied with the way I teach. You have even considered running off, am I correct?"  
  
"I...thought about it," he admitted.  
  
"Then you probably ought to know what awaits you if you do leave. The ship I brought you in is coded to my personal standards. Most of it requires advanced use of the Force, and a level of fine control that I do not believe you yet possess. Mind," he continued in an honest and disappointed tone, "I do not keep you prisoner here. At any time, you may pass through the front door and be free. I have removed all the blasters and security monitors. I must implore you to stay here, however. Any manner of accident could befall you once you leave this compound, and I would never find you in time to help. Also know this: once you step out of that door, you can never come back. *Never,* do you understand? Qui-Gon was always too forgiving. It is a fault I have tried not to replicate."  
  
There were a hundred things Obi-Wan could have said, a hundred things he could have *liked* to say, but he looked down at the floor. The chagrin in his voice, the harsh words Xanatos had tried to temper...all reminders of Qui-Gon, of the times he had failed his master. The two masters were different as day and night, but they shared their disappointment in him. "I'm sorry," he muttered, not daring to glance up.  
  
Xanatos stood. "I hope you will stay, Obi-Wan; someday you could be a fine Jedi Knight." And he was gone.  
  
Obi-Wan took out his lightsaber but didn't ignite it. It was so similar to his first one, but different, too. Nothing could go back to being the same, but he was being given a second chance. Did he even deserve it? Any of it? "No," he answered himself, and his voice rang loud in the silence. He didn't deserve the charity this man had given him, and he had even been ungrateful enough to consider running away. What kind of gratitude was that?  
  
And Xanatos still believed in him, even thought that he would be a great Jedi someday. He put the saber away. He would try his hardest to be worthy of Xanatos's faith in him.  
  
Later it would all seem much clearer: the way he played off Obi-Wan's emotions with enough skill to almost control his mind. But by then, things had changed.  
  
~~~  
  
With morning dawned a new resolve in him. He wanted to be a Jedi, and he was willing to accept any pain it might cause to get there.  
  
"Are you ready, Obi-Wan?"  
  
He bowed--a sign of respect he'd until now reserved for Qui-Gon and the Council. "Are you?"  
  
Xanatos lifted an eyebrow. "Getting cocky? Now, now. One cannot be cocky until one is certain to be the winner."  
  
"Maybe I am certain."  
  
"Then show me."  
  
Obi-Wan ran in to feint left and peel off to the right. He was more open to the Force now than ever before, feeding off emotions and the natural high of battle. *This* was how it felt to fight as a Jedi! He slashed, blocked, and somersaulted over his opponent's head.  
  
For one precious half-second, Xanatos's back was to him. A single lightsaber sweep burned straight up his adversary's right arm, forcing the Jedi to drop his weapon. Obi-Wan kicked out viciously at the small of his back, sending him sprawling on his face.  
  
When he flipped onto his back, he was met by Obi-Wan's lightsaber at his throat. Xanatos swallowed hard, raising empty hands. "You win," he said softly. "Congratulations."  
  
Obi-Wan yielded his saber and let Xanatos rise. He dropped the guard he hadn't realized he had raised, and was met with a flood of confused thoughts. Anger, fear, aggression...he hadn't been angry (well, perhaps bitter) but aggressive, yes. And there had been fear, too. A little bit, hovering in the back of his mind like a shadow. Had he used the dark side to best Xanatos?  
  
"I underestimated you, my apprentice." Now it was the master who bowed to the student. "You may be assured that I will not do so in the future."  
  
Obi-Wan returned to his room to contemplate his sudden and unsettling victory. Had he used the Dark Side? Did it even really matter? He *had* won, but wasn't there something he'd heard, perhaps from Qui-Gon, about the wrong ways to the right ends? Still too hard to think about his former master.  
  
Hours later he lay down. For the first time since he'd arrived, his sleep was untroubled by pain or nightmares.  
  
~~~~~~  
  
"Leaving hyperspace in ten, nine, eight." He kept the count verbal for Tahl's benefit, although he was so tense he could barely speak. Something was about to happen, he could feel it.  
  
"-seven, six, five, four, three, two, one."  
  
He eased them out of hyperspace. Before them rested four visible planets of Telos's star system, Abhadron. "I'm getting sentient life readings from Leresia, Anarel, and of course Telos itself. Can you narrow it down any?"  
  
Tahl reached out. "I can't search every being on Telos; there are far too many of them. But other than that, I can't tell you."  
  
Qui-Gon tapped his fingertips together. "If I were trying to hide myself and a sixteen-year-old boy, where would I go?"  
  
"The most logical places would be either Telos or Leresia. One, they would be hidden the crowds. The other, there would be no one from whom to hide."  
  
"But he knows how we think; so he would have gone with the middle choice: Anarel."  
  
"This game has no end, Qui-Gon. We both know what comes next."  
  
His brow furrowed deeper. "Yes: if he knows our way of thinking, he would have already known we'd choose Anarel. So he could be anywhere."  
  
"But he's still within the system, as is your apprentice. Have you tried to connect with him? Perhaps he can guide you to his location."  
  
He nodded. "I'll try."  
  
"Don't try, just *do.*"  
  
"All right." He closed his eyes, spreading his mind across the entire system. \\Obi-Wan, are you there?\\ He felt a glimmer, but no response. The boy was asleep...or perhaps dying, but he didn't even want to think of it. \Where are you?\\  
  
\\I don't know.\\ A definite, if groggy answer this time.  
  
\\Are you all right?\\  
  
\\Yes. Why wouldn't I be? --I'm dreaming this, aren't I?\\  
  
\\This isn't a dream. Are there people where you are?\\  
  
\\None that I've seen. Lots of wind, though; it's raining now, I can hear it on the window. I don't know where we are. Maybe I don't even care.\\  
  
\\You *must* care! I'm coming for you, and I am going to save you no matter what it costs.\\  
  
\\Save me? But I'm not in danger.\\ Part of his mind seemed to open up. \\This really is a dream. Xanatos told me you were dead! You aren't real...not that I don't wish it were otherwise.\\  
  
\\I *am* real, you must trust me! If you close yourself off I can't help you.\\  
  
\\Don't need to be saved...I'm safe *here...*\\  
  
And the connection was gone. "Obi-Wan," he whispered, trying to find him again, but the mental communication had dissolved.  
  
"Do you know where he is?" Tahl's expectant face appeared as the blindness of thought-speak dissipated.  
  
"No, even he isn't sure...wait! Leresia is the one with the turbulent atmosphere, is it not?"  
  
Tahl nodded slowly. "Yes, why?"  
  
"Obi-Wan said something, like he was just registering it himself, that it was raining. So maybe he's there."  
  
"I think you're reaching; any planet can have a stormy season. Why Leresia?"  
  
"Because it feels right. I'm not certain, but it's the best information we have to go on right now."  
  
"Even if we're wrong, we're still getting more done than sitting in solar orbit getting older," she admitted.  
  
"Then shall we go?"  
  
"I...suppose so."  
  
"What?"  
  
"I said, 'I suppose so.' "  
  
"But you hesitated: why?"  
  
" I just got this mental image of someone-"  
  
"An image? Like something you could see?"  
  
"Yes. I think it was Obi-Wan, but I'm not sure. He was- well,-"  
  
"Dead?" Qui-Gon blanched.  
  
"I couldn't tell, it was too brief. But he was unconscious, to say the least."  
  
Qui-Gon activated the sublight engines grimly. "Then we had better hurry."  
  
~~~~~~  
  
\\Coming for you...Save you.\\  
  
Obi-Wan sat up in the dark. Gusts of windborne rain pattered at the window. So it really had been a dream, a half-remembered vision, almost.   
  
He had dreamed of Qui-Gon, not that it was unexpected or anything. He flopped back down on the bed, grabbing his chrono off the nightstand. Two A.M. He sighed. It figured that he would wake up in the middle of the night, without anyone to whom he could even talk. Once after Cerasi's death he had awoken crying her name, and Qui-Gon had been there. Obi-Wan was still on "probation" then, and he wasn't officially a padawan anymore. Qui-Gon didn't care; he put everything behind them and stayed with him until dawn, neither talking, just *being there.* It had meant more to Obi-Wan than being a padawan again, to have someone with whom to share his grief.  
  
There was no one to help him now: he was on his own. Logically, he didn't need someone to comfort him anymore. He'd be seventeen in a few months, and that was the standard age of responsibility. So it shouldn't have bothered him that he was alone. He would have to deal with this as an adult.  
  
But he still missed the solace of is Master's presence.  
  
~~~  
  
Xanatos never arrived that day. A tray of food awaited Obi-Wan in the morning and evening, but no one was ever seen to bring it. A small holoset appeared on the nightstand when he got out of the shower. Suddenly he felt less like an unwanted guest and a little more like he belonged here.  
  
He exercised in the "gym" for awhile, but couldn't see the point. If Xanatos didn't come, he could run off and never look back. But it was the little things, like the holoset and hot meals, that held him back. Xanatos really wasn't all that harsh, anyway. And if he wanted to be a Jedi, it didn't look as though he had very many other options at this point.  
  
After three runs with the remote, he called it quits and retired to his room. He watched holocasts the rest of the day in his room. It wasn't like the Temple, and he wasn't sure he'd like this life very much, but it was livable. Not luxurious, but then, what kind of Jedi lived a rich life? It would have to do.  
  
~~~~~~  
  
"We're orbiting Leresia," he told Tahl. "I'm not finding any sign of their presences, though."  
  
"If I knew what to look for, perhaps I could help you."  
  
"Any extraordinarily strong presences. One clouded, one--hopefully--similar to ours."  
  
"Wait -- two hundred klicks west on our orbit. Two of them. Is that them?"  
  
He projected his search into Tahl's estimated area. "They're both asleep, so I can't quite tell. Wait till they cross the dawn line and we'll see if it's them."  
  
"Can you set us in a geosynchronous orbit?" //AN: Geosynchronous orbit keeps the ship over the same part of the planet all the time.//  
  
"I think I can manage."  
  
"Perhaps we should try to sleep. You haven't really rested since we left Coruscant. Let me in charge for a few hours; you get some sleep."  
  
He opened his mouth to protest and ended up stifling a yawn. "You win, I'll go quietly. Just don't forget to wake me when we cross the dawn line."  
  
"Don't worry about it." Tahl settled into her chair to wait and think.  
  
~~~  
  
Three hours later, she signaled to him on the comm. "We're about to hit dawn," she warned. "If you want to land us, you'll have to do it yourself."  
  
He ran into the cockpit only seconds later. "Are you sensing anything yet?"  
  
"It's barely dawn, Qui, and as I recall, Xanatos wasn't much of an early riser."  
  
He sighed. "Neither is Obi-Wan."  
  
"Patience is not a virtue but a necessity." Even as she said it, he could feel a glimmer of awareness.  
  
"That's him. It's Xanatos."  
  
"Are you sure?"  
  
"I couldn't forget is presence if I tried. And believe me, I have."  
  
"We ought to wait a little while longer. If your apprentice is there, we can find out if he's harmed."  
  
He gripped the arm of his chair tightly, but said nothing. He couldn't shake the feeling that he needed to be there *now,* and coupled with Tahl's earlier disquieting premonition it created a foreboding he couldn't ignore. He reached for the controls. "I'm taking her down."  
  
~~~~~~  
  
Obi-Wan could tell something was different. It was like the air was charged with electricity, an approaching thunderstorm.  
  
Xanatos was standing at the bank of windows at the end of the hallway. Obi-Wan hesitated; it didn't look like he was in a particularly good mood. On the other hand, it might be the only way to find out what was really happening.  
  
Over Xanatos's shoulder, he could see a ship. Not just any ship, but a brand-new Corellian Light Stock Freighter, a YT-1300. The ramp had just come down. A tall woman stood there, moving blindly but surely, one hand on her lightsaber hilt. *Tahl!* What in stars was she doing here alone?  
  
But she wasn't alone. There was someone behind her, a figure he could almost see...  
  
"You *imbecile!*" Xanatos turned on him, backhanding Obi-Wan sharply across the face. He staggered back in shock. Qui-Gon had *never* hit him, not even for the stupidest things he'd done.  
  
Xanatos remained by the window. "Why did you call them here? Why?!" He advanced again, and Obi-Wan scurried backwards. And he thought *he'd* been angry when he'd fought Xanatos.  
  
"I didn't call them; I had no idea they would come." \\But I'm glad they did,\\ he added silently.  
  
Xanatos glanced back out at the ship. Both figures had vanished now. "Come with me," he ordered, turning from the window. Obi-Wan faltered.  
  
"NOW!"  
  
They were in the hall before Xanatos spoke again. "I expect you're prepared to fight them?"  
  
"Fight them? They came to *save* me!"  
  
"From what?"  
  
"From you, and the way you've treated me. No true master would have been so cruel."  
  
Xanatos laughed harshly. "Did you really think this has anything to do with *you?*" he sneered. "You're nothing! I only used you to get even with your master."  
  
"You killed him; isn't that 'even' enough?"  
  
More laughter. "And gullible, too, I see. You really-"  
  
The door slid open, letting in glaring sunlight. When Obi-Wan's vision cleared, he saw the last figure in the galaxy he expected.   
  
Qui-Gon.  
  
Qui-Gon was *alive,* and he really had come to save him! His head spun; losing all hope was one thing, but to gain it all back in a second was just as incomprehensible and nearly as devastating.  
  
They eyes of Master and Padawan met, and Xanatos looked for a single instant between them with an expression very much like envy. Then he fixed his gaze on Obi-Wan. He gestured in the boy's direction, and Obi-Wan felt himself lifted up, flying backwards to hit the wall. Then nothingness.  
  
~~~  
  
Qui-Gon felt Obi-Wan's presence flicker like a candle, then go out. He met Xanatos with his lightsaber raised, and his former student locked blades with him. Xanatos grinned.  
  
"A final game, Master, with no one to interfere. And once again, that boy is your ultimatum."  
  
"And like last time," he returned confidently, "he'll hold out until this is finished." He broke away, slashed low, and parried the strike at his head. This was no longer a game: this was survival.  
  
Tahl heard Obi-Wan's silent cry above the hissing of the lightsabers. Qui-Gon would have no time to save him, and the padawan's life-force was already growing weak.  
  
She crept out from behind the door, moving slowly enough to attract no attention and not fall, yet quickly enough to reach him in time.  
  
So hard was she concentrating on staying hidden that she very nearly tripped over him when she got there. She dropped to her knees beside him, her fingers seeking his throat for a pulse.  
  
It was weak and slow--too slow, but even as she crouched there she felt it quicken beneath her hand, as if he was forcing himself to wake up. Awareness flooded his mind.  
  
"Alive," he breathed, radiating an amazed relief through the pain in his body. Then the battle noises registered, and he sat up. "Tahl-"  
  
"Xanatos wanted a fight, and he's getting it. Qui-Gon can take him."  
  
"But I want to help!"  
  
She gripped his shoulder, pulling him back off his feet. "You must not interfere; you're too weak. Have a little faith in him."  
  
"I do, really. I just hate being helpless like- oh, Sith!"  
  
"What? What is it?"  
  
"Xanatos almost took his head off, but he ducked."  
  
"Can you give me a play-by-play?"  
  
"Okay, Qui-Gon knocked Xanatos back, but he didn't fall and tried to attack off-balance. Qui-Gon sidestepped, parried, then slashed at Xanatos's boots..."  
  
~~~  
  
Sweat stung his eyes, and his muscles screamed with tension, but Qui-Gon refused to give up. He sensed that Tahl was with Obi-Wan, that he was conscious but still weak. \\Get him out of here!\\  
  
Her firm \\No!\\ echoed in his mind.  
  
He slashed down again, this time attempting to split Xanatos in half. He jumped back, and Qui-Gon decided it was time to end this, respectably or not. He pushed Xanatos with the Force, sending him backwards onto the floor. His lightsaber was at the traitor's throat.  
  
"Yield," he growled, "and I'll let you live."  
  
No reply. Qui-Gon's blade dropped another few centimeters. "Don't push me Xanatos. I will."  
  
He slumped backwards. "You win," he sighed, and Qui-Gon drew back a little. When Xanatos didn't move for his lightsaber, he extinguished his own. Slowly, he extended his hand to help his former apprentice up. He was finally offering a truce, the peace for which he had yearned so long.  
  
Xanatos stared levelly at Qui-Gon. "I do not require your assistance, nor do I request it. Leave me."  
  
He pulled back. It was the rebuff he had expected, but he had hoped for something more. To his left, Tahl was helping Obi-Wan up.  
  
\\We're leaving,\\ he sent.  
  
\\You're just going to leave him here?\\ Tahl asked. \\A fallen knight with a vendetta against both you and your student?\\  
  
"He deserves a second chance," he said aloud.  
  
"How many second chances will you give him, Qui? He'll kill one of you before you realize it's been one chance too many. If he won't make his peace, you have to kill him or bring him to justice."  
  
Tahl could not have seen, and Qui-Gon was preoccupied, but Obi-Wan saw everything. He saw Xanatos rise, the lightsaber flying to his hand and lighting as he swung forward at Qui-Gon.  
  
Obi-Wan shouted a warning, and Qui-Gon turned in time to see the blade scything towards his face. He went for his lightsaber. \\Too late,\\ he thought. \\You turned your back on a prisoner, and now he's going to kill you. So much for second chances.\\  
  
"Move!" he heard someone shout, and found himself being pushed to the ground. Xanatos's saber passed through the air where he'd just been standing.  
  
Obi-Wan felt the heat of the blade as it moved past him. He smelled burnt hair as it swept past the side of his face, but his head was still intact as he leapt up, his own weapon suddenly in his hands, and engaged the dark Jedi.  
  
\\Stay out of this,\\ he ordered silently.  
  
Qui-Gon looked up, surprised at the sharp warning. Obi-Wan was in danger; how could he keep himself from joining the fight? He knew any interruption would distract not only Xanatos, but his student as well. Judging by the latter's incomplete training, he doubted the boy could spare any attention.  
  
But Obi-Wan he slipped into his center, the detached calm came again. His sudden increase in speed caught Xanatos off-guard, but he recovered.  
  
Xanatos was getting worried. Obi-Wan was holding his own, and he couldn't find the breath to taunt him. Stupid boy: how's that for typical respect? He made a wide sweep at the blue sword, knocking it aside. But Obi-Wan recovered, reversed, and the blade wound up and in, burning deep into Xanatos's side. He fell.  
  
The young Jedi stayed where he was for a few more seconds, breathing hard. He bent down to check for a heartbeat: nothing. Xanatos was dead.  
  
He stood slowly, clipping his lightsaber to his belt. His hand shook as he raked his fingers through his hair. His first kill...the term had never seemed so unfitting before. A kill was something for hunters, something to be proud of and boast in taverns and cantinas. Obi-Wan had never felt more devastated in his life.  
  
He had murdered a sentient being. Xanatos was dead and it was his fault.  
  
"Let's go," Qui-Gon said softly, interrupting Obi-Wan's horrified reverie. Now was not the time to ask about the kill setting. The time for that was later.  
  
"Was I wrong?" Obi-Wan asked, trying not to show how badly he was shaking. Suddenly he seemed younger than sixteen, less sure of himself. "Should I have let him live?"  
  
Tahl walked up on his other side. "If you hadn't killed him, don't delude yourself into thinking he would have taken pity on you. You saved three lives by taking one: yours, Qui-Gon's, and mine."  
  
It was exactly the justification that Obi-Wan had needed.  
  
They left the compound silently. Obi-Wan noticed with a chill that there were sentry guns posted right outside the gate. They were mangled by now, thanks to Qui-Gon and Tahl, but had he tried to escape at all, they would have burned him down where he stood. Another lie Xanatos had told him.  
  
Qui-Gon let the ramp down. "I believe you owe me a game of pool, Padawan," he remarked lightly.  
  
He chuckled softly, with the first touch of real humor he'd felt since Qui-Gon's supposed death. "No bets."  
  
"Certainly not."  
  
Obi-Wan smiled a bit. He knew he'd lose, but it didn't matter. Qui-Gon was the best, and no one could beat the best.  
  



End file.
